BY ANDREW MCSTEEN
With a much-needed 2-1 victory against bottom side Southampton on Sunday, Crystal Palace ended 2024 six points clear of the relegation spots. And for USA international and Eagles defender Chris Richards, it was the perfect end to what has been a challenging 12 months.
The US international shared back-three duties with Trevoh Chalobah and Maxence Lacroix for the win over the Saints, coming in for suspended captain Marc Guehi.
“It’s a good three points to end the year and an important three points for us,” said the 24-year-old Alabama-born player to the South London Press. “I feel good and feel happy.
“It had ups, had downs, but at the end of the year, I’m healthy. We played the last game of 2024 here and we got a win.”
That year started for Richards with an FA Cup third round goalless draw at home to Everton last January before going on to regularly start for the Eagles in their strong end to the season which saw manager Oliver Glasner replace Roy Hodgson in February.
A Copa America campaign with America followed in the summer and with little rest, the central defender was a regular in August and September before a hamstring injury following the Manchester United game on September 21 curtailed his progression.
2S0TN9J Crystal Palace’s Chris Richards and Southampton’s Tyler Dibling (right) battle for the ball during the Premier League match at Selhurst Park, London. Picture date: Sunday December 29, 2024.
Richards did not return to the first team bench until November 9, against Fulham, but played in just four of the next nine games, playing the whole 90 minutes on Sunday.
“I’d say a bit frustrating,” said Richards about being in and out of the team due to injury, combined with the team selection from Glasner thanks to the emergence of summer signings and fellow central defenders, Chalobah and Lacroix.
“Last year, at least towards the end of the season, I played a lot, but we’ve been on a little run this season and I had an injury spell as well.
“I just want to take my chances whenever possible and hopefully continue to fit in.”
Richards was an unused substitute in the draw at Bournemouth on Boxing Day which was just the Eagles’ fifth league clean sheet of the season
Late on in the second half against Southampton the Palace defence had to withstand a number of chances.
“We worked a lot in the last week or so on box defending and things like that,” explained Richards.
“We just figured it was a mentality problem, so we worked on that the whole weekend. We weren’t too worried about the balls coming in at the very end. Bournemouth had been on a run – they put three in at (Manchester) United .
“Our job as defenders is to hold the team to as few shots and goals as possible. If we can do that, it’ll give our forward guys a bit more confidence to just put one in the back in the net.
Attacking midfielder Ebere Eze scored the winning goal against Southampton with a low strike from long range, just his second Premier League goal in what has been a frustrating campaign so far for the England international.
Crystal Palace v Southampton – Premier League, Selhurst Park, 29 December 2024Picture : Keith Gillard
Richards is confident it can spur the Greenwich-born player on to more this season.
“It’s good for Ebs to continue to get on the scoresheet,” he said. “I bet he feels a bit frustrated, and it’s good for his confidence to get a goal like he did tonight and hopefully he can add 10-12 more goals on to it .
“Let’s hope I get on the scoresheet at some point as well. But my main job is just to stop the goals in the back.”
Next up for the Eagles is the visit of Chelsea to Selhurst Park tomorrow with the high-flying west Londoners pushing for a Champions League place.
“We know what Chelsea bring to the table,” said Richards. “They’re an electric, very exciting team to watch, and definitely a hard team to play against. We just need to bring the same mentality that we did against Southampton, and then hopefully a clean sheet.”
MAIN PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD